Sergeant at Arms, Novice in Love
by kewie351
Summary: Kel and Dom ally to bring Neal and Yuki together... KD, if not original than charmingly classic... banter abounds!
1. Part I

Wow. Thanks so much for the interest in this story! I'm so pleased people liked it! For the record:

Yes, I know it doesn't have any KD in it yet, but right now I'm setting the stage. I'm a firm believer in love being the most rewarding when it's tortured a bit first.

Also, thanks for reminding me about Kel's eye color. I just got home from college and the muse hit me, so I didn't have time to reread the books (I read them most recently last break) and write the story. Problem solved (I hope), and thanks for telling me!

Oh, and the setting for the first part is before Lady Knight, while she waits for orders.

"Cousin! Neal! Meathead! Tsk, tsk. I had no idea you were such a coward. You know that the real test of a man's courage is to face him with a female!" The larger man chased the knight down.

"Well, I'd be willing to wager quite a lot that once you fall in love, you'll be just as... well... disinclined to be rejected!" The insult had stopped Neal in his tracks and provoked him to respond.

"Oh, my little cousin, much will I have to teach you in our short time together. I have, in fact, fallen victim to that same hapless state. I, however, have the ahem! nerves... to act upon it."

"Oh, really? Sergeant Dom in love? It's almost too ridiculous too countenance!"

"That was cruel for a wannabe Healer. I can see you're just jealous."

"Exactly. I am jealous of this fantasy romance you're apparently having. If you really were courting someone the entire palace would know, not to mention all the Own!"

"It _is_ possible to romance someone because you love them, not for the notoriety. Besides, my lady is of the discreet mold. Perhaps 'mold' is the wrong word to use. She transcends 'molds' like the Lady Alanna's bouts transcend the term 'spat'. She has no need for the power plays of the court, and the court functions, while flattering, show only the palest reflection of the beauty of her spirit."

"I confess I am intrigued. Can you prove this boast?"

Dom expressed shock at his cousin's request. "Why, I have never heard of anything more unchivalrous!" Neal just looked at him. Dom squirmed a bit. "Perhaps I have seen-"

"Seen?"

"-and perhaps committed many things more unchivalrous, but in my line of work-"

"Chivalry, you mean?" Neal interjected.

Dom was disconcerted the conversation had turned against him so suddenly. "Ah, yes. Well, it would seem to be a rather rude thing to do, spying upon the girl I adore."

"Well, if she transcends "girl", then surely she would be sympathetic to my educational needs."

There was a long pause.

"That came out wrong, didn't it?"

"Yes, indeed, Meathead. Yes, indeed."

Neal thought Dom would at least tease him a bit more, if only to punish him for implying his cousin's inamorata was a whore. "Aren't you angry at me?"

Dom smiled fondly down at his cousin then feigned great sorrow, flinging the back of his hand up to his forehead in a clichéd motion used by traveling players. "Alas, Sir Meathead," he sighed in a ridiculously high voice, "today will not be your day to be thrashed by yours truly. I fear I am to overcome with passion for the queen of my heart." He threw himself backwards into Neal's arms. At first Neal instinctively caught his larger cousin, but, once thought caught up with him, he removed his arms from Dom's person, resulting in a huge dust cloud as the body impacted the stable floor.

Both cousins started laughing, which caused them to inhale the floating earth. The ruckus they created was only broken by the steely voice demanding "SILENCE! Have I taught you young pups _nothing_? While you sit here prone, an enemy could sneak up behind you and kill you both!" Knives appeared at both of their throats and they winced as they recognized the voice of Lord Wyldon, also known by Neal as "the Stump".

Eyes watering, coughs stifling, Dom complained, "..You.. made your point, my Lord... now.. let us... cough! go!"

"'My Lord', he says... I would think you boys would know me well enough to know that title could never apply." Neal could almost feel their assailant's head being shaken as he suddenly realized there might be a threat from the way the voice had subtly changed from the growl of his instructor in knighthood to the dangerous purr of a deep woman's voice.

Wait, Neal thought, a woman? "K-"

"Not another vowel, Queenscove. You're already on my last nerve." Neal subsided.

"If you're not going to kill us, then have the honor to name yourself and face me on a field of battle. I'll not put up with this cough! indignity a moment longer!"

"Well, well, Domitan of Masbolle, you have yourself a deal. Though if you expect to face me on a field of battle, I suggest you give your dignity a holiday. I don't think your ego'll enjoy it much, looking up at me from your back with my sword at your throat... for the third time this week."

A huge grin spread across Dom's face and he felt the pressure at his throat ease. Turning around he physically picked up the not-so-diminutive Keladry of Mindelan and spun her around. "KEL! You brigand! I thought you'd left on duty!"

Kel wriggled out of his arms smiling and gave Neal a hug. "Courier came in today. Seems the bandits caught the plague and the King's not willing to attack a wounded foe, especially when they have a history of positive dealings with us. So we have three more weeks in which to create havoc together."

Neal started to agree, but then a panicked look came over his face. "Oh, ah I forgot! Damn you Dom!... I must go!" He ran toward the practice courts.

"What are you doing?" Kel called after him.

"Espionage practice!" Neal called back as he disappeared around the corner.

Dom took Kel's elbow and led her on the path back to the castle. "What he means is that he is spying on your friend, Yuki, while she practices weapons."

A guarded look came over her face, "And why would he do that?"

A sound of great disgust issued from Dom, "Well, only because he's devoted to her for all eternity, and he wants to make all her dreams come true, she's the pillar of womanly loveliness, she makes him feel fully alive for the first time in his life, she's the only instance of truly celestial beauty residing in an earthly body, he loves her, and he just likes to watch that deadly fan game you fine Yamani ladies play." He said all of this with a sarcastic edge to his voice.

"That's the player in your family coming out. Why did I never notice it?" Kel couldn't help wishing that someone would think that about her. But that was about as unlikely as beating her former knight master on the lists.

"My incredible acting skills? Why you never have appreciated the wide range of my talents!" he wiggled his eyebrow at her suggestively.

"Ew. And I meant about Yuki and Neal. Now that I think about it, she's been mooning over him lately too. What a coward our Meathead is. She'll probably end up just hitting him over the head or kissing him... possibly both, before he makes a move that isn't 'espionage'."

Dom stopped and looked at her with unvarnished affection. "See, that's exactly what I was telling him before you showed up. Of course it involved me telling him about... well, about chivalry... and then I fell into his arms, and I-"

"You know, if I had been there, this would probably be incredibly amusing for me, but, as it is, you're only succeeding in confusing me. The dizzy meanderings of your mind remain a mystery to me."

"Darling! That's the only joy in my dreary existence!" Giggling, they made their way up to the castle to prepare for dinner.

After dinner, from which Neal had been conspicuously absent, Dom pulled Kel into a niche outside the dining hall and hid her from the passing crowd with his body.

"What _are_ you doing? I'll have you know I was not kidding about the thrashing I'd give you this time-" Her mouth found itself restricted from further reaming by his hand. Kel's normally calm hazel eyes blazed.

"Look, I need your help. Neal and I have a bet on, and unless I do this, he'll never tell Yuki how he feels, so just follow my lead! He's watching for us outside the grape arbor." He looked over his shoulder at her as he ran, taking in her flushed cheeks, her dress in Mindelan colors and her confused expression, "You look beautiful tonight! Let's go!"

As he pulled her down the hallways to the vineyards, she tried to make sense of what he had said. What did he mean? What bet? She'd love to help him work up Neal's courage, but she had no idea what was going on. Maybe he was going to meet his love tonight, and he needed Kel to watch and make sure Neal did the same.

Kel had only just deduced this scheme when suddenly Dom stopped and took her hand tenderly. She stared at him as he tried to guide her down one of the moonlit pathways. "What-"

"My lady, I promise that despite the passionate nature of this particular haunt, I will remain true to my vows as a knight and treat you with the greatest of virtue. You are, after all, the epitome of all virtues, especially beauty. My lady, trust me." His coaxing voice loosened her muscles and she followed willingly.

Kel had never had the full power of Domitan's charm directed at her, and she found herself unsure how to respond. She blushed and looked away, wondering what was going on. He'd never spoken to her like this before. She felt that rarely vocal frisky pixy of flirting emerge, and gave it her voice. "Why, Sergeant Dom! I do believe you just called me beautiful!" she said to her shoes in the greatest of bewilderment.

"Any knight when beholding the visage of his beloved might say she is beautiful, despite the reality of her charms and accomplishment. I, on the other hand, could be deemed the only true knight, since no damsel could possibly ever compare with you. Your abilities and pursuits make all others seem paltry and insignificant. You have my respect for those. You have my devotion for your protection of those less able than you. You also possess one thing that you must decide if you wish to return. My heart has been yours, these past several months, and yours is the only face I think of when I awaken, and the thought that sends me into blissful dreams at twilight. What say you? Shall my heart and I be regretfully reunited, or will you lend me yours to keep the pain of separation at bay? My lady? My... love?"

Kel's heart was beating so fast she didn't know what to do. If this turned out to be another stunt on his part to get her back for surprising him that afternoon, she didn't know what she'd do. What could she do? There he stood, in his princely suit and silky blue doublet. His hair had curled into a few ringlets on his forehead, and she reached forward to brush one out of his eyes. A flash of red in the corner of her view revealed Neal's location behind her, and Kel froze. Wait. _She_ was Dom's love? The one with whom he was convincing Neal to declare himself to Yuki? The thought was completely flooring, and she felt her knees becoming weak. Luckily Dom's arms were already coming around her, as he had caught her hand and used it to pull her into his embrace. Kel sighed and inhaled his scent, one of familiarity and mystery, comfort and excitement.

Dom waved to Neal while he held Kel. Get out of here you numbskull! Now it's really gotten to the point where you're eavesdropping! He didn't get the hint, apparently too mesmerized with discovering who Dom's companion was. Dom gently pulled Kel's arms away from himself, surprised to find how reluctant he was to end this moment. It wouldn't do for Neal to see who Kel was, though, so Dom stepped back, took her hand, and kissed it while looking deeply into Kel's swirling hazel eyes.

Kel was shocked. She- he! She didn't know what to do. The man whom she had secretly adored for over a year was reciprocating, and it would seem he'd waited as long as she!

"Milady, shall we stroll the vineyard together?" Dom's eyes danced as if he held the best joke in the world.

She couldn't wait to find out what it was. Too overwrought for words, she nodded.

Once they were a couple of minutes away, he looked behind them and broke out in laughter as if he had been holding it in for ages. Kel joined in, just so she wouldn't seem odd.

"Ha-ha-ha! Ummm... why are we laughing?" Kel smiled up at him.

He raised his eyebrow at her as he got his laughter under control. "Why? Because we triumphed! You can bet that Yuki and Neal will be a pair before the sun rises! I should go purchase wedding gifts! How about matching kimonos? And I'll have 'Lord and Lady Meathead' monogrammed on them! Brilliant, don't you think, 'my love'?"

Kel's world ended with those last two sarcastic words. The hope she had raised now was entirely dashed, and all she could do was go back to the old friendship she'd come to treasure. "Oh, yes, 'my dear'," she added in an arch tone, "It can go along with ours that say 'Lady and Lord Yamani Lump'!" Of course Dom would never love someone like her when he could have anybody in the court. Anybody at court was more beautiful than she, including her own ragged dog Jump whose lack of appeal had frequently been the focus of scorn.

"What makes you think you get to be first? It's always been Lord then Lady!"

"And whatever happened to "Ladies first"? If you insist then we can make you Lord Dirtface for your appalling failure to keep your seat in the joust!"

"Ah, ah! A touch, I fear, a touch! Why so acerbic, partner?" He'd thought she would be delighted with his prank, but she was obviously upset about something. He hated to see her frown, so he tried to cheer her up. "Say, would you like to meet to work on weapons tomorrow at six?"

"Why, Dom! I wasn't aware you arose that early! Is your drunken revelry curtailed tonight because of our little assignation?" If she could jest, then maybe she would get over him.

Dom's jaw dropped. "My, my. Innocent little squire Kel sure has turned into a knight who pulls no punches. No, my dove. I shall not imbibe of the liquors of the land, since I am overcome by your eyes which allow me not to stand, but to be flung up into the skies! Ha! See, my lovely! You made me a poet, and I didn't even know it!"

As he laughed at his own brilliance, Kel was overcome by the knowledge of the inherent stupidity of men. Not only did he call her little and innocent, but he kept rubbing her face in the fact that he considered her a joke. Suddenly she couldn't stand to be around him anymore. Had she been anyone else, she would have run away, but instead she thought, "I am stone. I am stone. I am stone," over and over again.

Dom had been going over several different rhymes in his head for the next poem about Kel, "his beloved", but realized that Kel hadn't spoken in response to some of his most disturbing rhymes, and had not yet mentioned his resemblance to Neal in the throes of his squirely unrequited love phase. Looking at her, she seemed to be miles away, her face in the habitual deadpan he associated with Kel's unique problem-solving abilities. Typical Kel to be working even when she's supposed to be having fun. Placing his lips right next to her ear, he whispered, "You are now imagining Dom in fuchsia brocade undergarments, dancing the mazurka for the court..." in a mystical voice. Kel gave a violent start, took a deep breath, and Dom prepared himself for an "Ew" of draconic proportions.

Stolen out of her safe place by an image that the descriptor 'disturbing' barely covered, she did what her Yamani instructor would have done. She yelled, "YOU INTRUDED ON MY MANTRA!"

"Your mantra! What is your mantra, oh fellow knight?"

"I- Uh-... Never mind! Just something I do. And it's Lady Knight, not fellow. Anyway, I'm not feeling too well. I need to head to bed. Early start tomorrow, you know."

Dom decided to ignore this uncharacteristic nervousness in his friend. "So you'll come to practice at six, Lady Knight?"

Kel paused. She had never actually said yes. She would much rather avoid him, but as a knight she had learned that it's better to face your fears if you wish to overcome them. "Of course," she sighed, defeated.

"Then allow me the honor of escorting you to your quarters. You never know what kinds of wastrels will attempt their evil ways with passing knights."

"Dom?"

"Yes'm?"

"What were you just inferring?"

"Merely that I am entirely dependent upon your presence to protect my innocence and virtue in this cold, cruel world."

"Good. And don't fool yourself."

"Huh?"

"Innocence and virtue?"

"Hey! I resent... well... I concur with you on that one. But will you still protect me?"

Neal and Dom met at five-thirty the next morning. Dom walked with the swagger of a winner, and Neal looked ready to lose control of his bodily functions.

"Ah, little cousin! Is today the blessed day on which you shall declare your undying affections for the maiden, the flower, the ebullient crystalline jewel of your eternal but entirely proper desire?"

"SHHHH! _She might hear you!_" Neal's left eye began to twitch.

Dom seemed annoyingly unconcerned by his cousin's discomfiture. "Oh! Is Yuki here? Is this the appointed time and place? Am I intruding on a lovers' rendez-vous? Oh, damn my eyes, how could I interfere with the blossoming of young love?"

The twitch intensified to the point where it could no longer be described as merely being located around his eye. Neal's entire head jerked slightly with his breaths as he tried to shrug off the urge to throttle his tyrannical relation. _"What do you want from me, you imbecile!"_ His voice raised quite loud, but he didn't notice others in the practice courts searching for the source of the disturbance.

Dom winked at him. "Your firstborn child, of course!"

Neal's eyes narrowed.

After smiling his superior grin for a few moments without relief from the high voltage fury flowing through the air, his expression shriveled into a conciliatory simper, "I mean, I want to be his namesake! Dom Junior! We could call him D.J. for short, and I could teach him all about being a proper knight-"

"And what would you know about that?" Neal's comment cut across Dom's soliloquy.

A shocked look crossed Dom's face, "Why, I wrote the book! I am the epitome of chivalry, the pinnacle of valor, and the definition of charming. True, great charm is only a prerequisite for princes historically, but I happen to possess the charm to end all charm-"

"That's exactly what I heard about you."

"-and I have the magnanimity to pass all of that on to your son, so that he may surpass his parents-"

"THAT IS ENOUGH!" A highborn lady stuck her head out of her window and screeched when Neal yelled. He plowed on. "Be assured that if you continue to parade your various "talents" in front of me, I will not hesitate to take you down, and furthermore, I will have Kel help me do it! Not only that, but if I ever grow to deserve Yuki, and she does grace me with issue, something that in NO way concerns you, thank goodness, we would never possess the despicably horrible judgment to name the child after you to follow in your footsteps. You have knocked at the cave door and discovered a dragon in residence, Domitan, and you shall cease all aspersions on Yuki's courage! All those ridiculous things you've said about what I think: it's true. I adore her to absurdity, to incredulity, but at least my inaction is based upon the firm belief that she feels otherwise. And if you have any doubts about her courage, I want you to recall our fireside chats. If you have any concerns about the way I choose to conduct myself with her I want to to remember-"

"I want you to recall this moment," a heavily-accented feminine voice proclaimed.

All eyes turned to the brightly-kimonoed lady, armed with a Yamani glaive, striding from her place at the side of the Prince's bride-to-be, Shinkokami, to the struck dumb Neal.

Neal gazed at his beloved, and winced as he realized the proverbial cat had hit the road, leaving the bag feeling tremendously exposed. 'Mithros and Goddess, don't let her have heard,' he thought, watching her approach, her tight grip on her weapon ample evidence that his prayer would go unanswered.

Dom watched with great satisfaction as Yukimi stopped in front of Neal, stared at him intently, all the while cheeks blazing at her lack of proper Yamani propriety, and stood on her tiptoes, reaching behind his neck to bring his face level with hers. He stifled an urge to applaud as she proceeded to kiss him tentatively. Gradually Dom came to realize that the only reason he was not applauding was the tight grip somebody had on his wrists. Looking only slightly down, he grinned conspiratorially at Kel. "You win, she did have to beat him over the head. You women are so unsubtle."

She raised an eyebrow but turned back to the lovers, now both blushing and making their excuses to find Duke Baird. The permission of His Grace would not be difficult to obtain, especially as Yuki had endeared herself to the Duke by showing an aptitude for herb craft that greatly assisted in healings. As Kel began to practice with Dom, she began the process of internalizing her love for Dom, beginning with his unhelpful subtlety comment. 'If you men weren't so Gods-blest unaccountably dense, perhaps we wouldn't have to hit you over the head with a war hammer bring you to sense,' she thought with satisfaction as she whammed him with the butt of her glaive.

"Owwie!" His look was one of greatest suffering. "Why must you abuse your poor Dom so?"

Instead of a response, she attacked his big toe.

"GYAAAAH!"

This would be a very satisfying afternoon for her after all.


	2. Part II

PART II: Post Lady Knight, On the road to Raoul and Buri's Wedding

"Are we there yet?"

"No, and I predict it'll be a while longer before we are."

"How much longer? We've been riding forever!"

"No, we've only been a-saddle for twenty minutes."

"Won't Lord Wyldon have a heart attack if we're late?"

"Frankly, I doubt he'd give a basset's behind."

"Well, doesn't it seem like we should be there by now?"

"Yes."

"Well, I know Yuki will- wait, Kel, you said yes!"

Keladry of Mindelan gave a superiorly tolerant look to her fellow knight. "You know, next time I'll bring Merric with me. I don't know why I allow you along for these little jaunts."

"Well, obviously for my scintillating conversation and rugged good looks-"

"Rugged?" glancing at the University dropout, Kel was forced to admit that he did not exactly qualify as eye candy, bookish and smelling of astringent herbs. She could at least blame her crush on puppy love, but poor Yukimi, his fiancée, had no excuse. She smiled wryly.

"-and besides, you messed up the rhythm of our banter with your 'yes', so it must mean something!" Neal leered at her, grasping for a new topic of conversation.

Kel heaved a dramatic sigh of frustration as she tried to hide the fact that it was someone's presence at Steadfast that had her companions trotting to keep up with her. "Hmmmm. Well, yes, I do pine for my lord when we are parted. Oh, how I pine! Watch me pine!" She stuck out her lower lip in a sarcastic gesture, gazing lackadaisically at the sky.

Neal, the poor dear, so wrapped up in his own romance, missed it, "Who is this fellow? Come now, Kel, share! You know it's never gossip until you confide it to your best friend!"

"Why, didn't you know? We tried to keep it quiet, of course, but when one is that ...moved... by passion, so ...frequently... it's hard to keep the secret, but we tried, Wyldon and I." She waited a moment for his explosion.

"Well, Kel, I'm happy you've found somebo- WHAT!!!!?!?!" Neal quickly turned a most gratifying shade of orange, a vein popping out on his forehead. He began shouting cutoff expletives and jerking, spooking his horse.

"Lady Knight, is he bothering you?" One of the escorts, Kel's friend Hercurt, had been listening in and wanted to assist. He calmed Neal's horse even as Kel spoke.

"Yes, thank you. Sir Neal needs to guard the rear of the unit. You can see he's quite distraught, imagining an attack from behind." Neal made a gagging noise but quieted as he was escorted several horses behind Kel by the grinning Hercurt.

She did want to get to Steadfast, but not to see her training master, though conversations with Lord Wyldon almost invariably led to challenges, the fruit of her existence. No, the person she most wished to see was her Domitan of Masbolle, the man she loved. It would have been to awkward to tell Neal, Dom's cousin, about her love, simply because he would wish to return the treatment he'd received before he confessed his feelings to Yuki. His reprisal might be more evil than hers, since she had never given him much of an opening for pranking.

She had only once ever acted on her feelings, and then the whole relationship was a secret, with Cleon of Kennan, a fellow squire, but their passion had very quickly subsided into a fond friendship, a turn of events which sincerely relieved her. From her first meeting with Dom, Kel had formed a close affection for and trust with the affable sergeant. His easygoing wit and charm were ornamented by her strong devotions and verbal stingers, keeping him from overuse of ego, and herself from reckless mistakes. This friendship, though its loss would destroy her, was one she was discontented with simply maintaining. She owed it to herself to be honest about her feelings, just as she owed it to her pride not to chase after him. That was the course of action Neal would encourage, all the while plotting the most ridiculous schemes to join his friend and cousin. Kel was deeply grateful that her teachers in the Yamani Islands had taught her to conceal her feelings and that Neal was so wholly immersed in his love for Yuki.

As they hove into view of Steadfast much later in the day, Kel spied a large blob bobbing from the front gate. Guessing who was astride these horses, she was about to order the party into a gallop when a high-pitched whoop behind her alerted her to her healer's acceleration. Neal's horse shot past Kel, leader of their group, the knight leaning down in his saddle, eyes tearing from the speed at which he traveled. Pulling out her spyglass, the lady knight could see a tiny horse detach from the distant dust cloud, bearing the Yamani betrothed to her beloved. Smiling to herself, she was amazed that she had never seen this coming. The affection of the couple seemed to have no bounds, and she felt a melancholy pang with that thought. _She_ wanted that. She didn't need it, but she had wanted it, him, so deeply, and so long, that nights alone without someone to hold were becoming interminable. Calming her thoughts, she put away her spyglass and prepared to meet the greeting party.

Neal's foolish leap from his saddle left him sore but content in Yuki's arms an hour later when they carried their saddlebags to their temporary quarters. To Kel's pain, no Dom came to greet her and sympathize with her stiff muscles. She couldn't believe that she'd been stupid enough to allow Tobe to visit with his friends at the fort. She could use some help moving again. Kel knew Neal was receiving a massage next door, and only the exhaustion keeping her prone on the floor where she'd fallen in her room after closing the door prevented her from playing chaperone and stealing Yuki for the relief of her own back. Goddess, but it hurt! Even the twittering of her birds provoked a grumbled, "Unless you're dying, I don't give a-"

Her door slammed open, sending an airfall of birds fluttering down to secure locations.

"KEL! THANK MITHROS!"

The voice that normally sent a shiver down her spine only caused her to close her eyes, sure that it was the gods' joke to send the person she most desired when she looked and felt like this. "What do you want?" The question was meant to express her utter disenchantment with her situation, but emerged as somewhat petulant and accusatory.

Dom took it in stride. "You know, your utterly disappointing greeting aside, you are the absolutely most wonderful thing I have seen these past... ummm... how long has it been since I've seen you?"

She experienced the unusual feeling of herself being turned over, a feat that required a fair amount of his strength, thanks to her tireless combat training. She felt herself melt in response to his words, though, even voiced in his rich tenor, they lacked the polish and tact she so desperately wanted at this particularly vulnerable moment. "You are hardly one to be criticizing my greeting when you don't even realize that it was..." She paused, mentally backpedaling so she wouldn't tell him, to the hour, how long they'd been apart. "... over two months."

She couldn't even get a clear look at his face as he bustled around, fetching a crude mug from the necessary, stoking the fire (which, incidentally, gave her quite an advantageous view of his backside), and giving the frantic avians bits of seed from his pocket. 'I suppose he must have gotten that from Qasim,' she thought, trying not to blush from the previous thought. "Is that the best you can do, Kel, light of my life? You poor dear, you must be plumb tuckered!"

She raised an eyebrow at him, "Thank you, Burtie Backwoods!"

He turned and smiled at her, showing a new scar on his face, "I mined that particular gem from one of our new recruits... I take no end of delight in teasing him about his colloquialisms, but I know I can trust you to keep the secret that he's sort of growing on me." He sat down, leaning his back against the bed.

"Of course, we wouldn't want him to think he's superior to Dom the Great-"

"Actually my new appellation is Domitan of the Lethal Good Looks."

This display of ego incited both envy and a firm desire to smack. She resisted, instead deciding on a verbal smack, as Dom was being very nice, supporting her against his chest. "Of course, Domitan of the Lethal Good Looks, slayer of armies, just by allowing them a good look at your pockmarked mug."

"A touch, I fear. And yet it seems the lady is unwilling to allow me mercy! I see her readying for the killing stroke!" He hid his face behind his hands, allowing one dancing eye to peek out at her.

She would not disappoint him today. "We wouldn't want your recruit to think he's superior to Dom the whatsis, because then, someday, he might discover that he's the only one under the delusion of your importance."

Instead of continuing the game, he surprised her by giving her a hug. "Ah, Kel, " was all he said. "Ah, Kel, I'm so glad to see you again."

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The next evening, after a full day spent together, practicing combat, eating, and possibly building slingshots with which to peg each other, the rejuvenated Kel and Dom found themselves convinced by Neal and Yuki to attend the performance of a troupe of second-rate players, visiting the fort despite the dangerous times. Rolling their eyes, they parted to wriggle out of mud-spattered practice clothes and into semi-finery.

Kel wrinkled her nose. She had a choice between dressing sensibly and wearing one of the impractical gowns created by Lalasa. They both sat before her on her bed.

"You should wear the gold 'un, Lady."

Whirling, Kel noticed Tobe curled in the corner, hands over his eyes, to allow her privacy. He must have placed the two outfits for her in his considerate way. "I didn't even notice you were here. And why shouldn't I dress comfortably?"

He sighed. "Lady, you never dress up. An' these player types, I hear, sometimes make fun of the people they play for. So you should be wanting to look your best."

"I don't know." She looked at the gold cream puff creation in front of her. As with all of Lalasa's work, it was fashionable as well as uncommonly beautiful. It was the sort of thing Kel dreamt of wearing, but was afraid to put on.

"Lady, please put it on. I'm forgettin' what sunlight looked like, I've been converin' my eyes for so long."

She did. It truly was humorous how much her servant dictated what she did, especially as she was so much older than he, and a commander to boot! She slipped on the dress, cinching it tight at the sides. "I'm decent." Tobe uncovered his eyes and nodded approvingly.

"See, lady Kel, you look right fine."

Kel walked to the glass in her water closet.

She did look fine, if such a word could be applied to Lalasa's wizardry. The dress actually brought out her coloring and flattered her figure, which her enemies had derogatorily called bovine. With some ribbons and jewelry, her hair and newly exposed décolletage could even be displayed to advantage. Mentally preparing herself for this new dress-up experience, she found reason to pause. Nobody had ever really seen her dressed like this, though. What would they think? Seeing her dressed up like any court wallflower hoping for an advantageous match would make them leap to a conclusion: that she was attracted to one of the gentlemen with her. Wouldn't that be too big of a giveaway? After all, the possibility of Dom discovering her secret and laughing at it as a great joke was far too devastating a thought. She'd already had a taste of that and a glutton for punishment she was not. Well, not in love anyway.

It was decided. "Tobe, cover your eyes again."

"Oh, no! Lady..." But he complied grudgingly.

With Tobe's help, she was dressed in a Mindelan blue tunic of the finest silk, sporting an armband with her shield device upon it, and matching blue pants, also Lalasa's design, flowing and interwoven with silver thread. She thought she looked very regal, if not beautiful.

A knock on her door was followed by these tender words: "Get your primped and painted self out here, Lady Knight, or I swear I'll... ummm... do something that will embarrass us both in front of Neal and Yuki."

Kel's eyebrow raised as she opened the door. "Really? I shudder to think what plebeian mind will conjure. However, now that you're finally ready (Is that kohl on your eyebrows?), we can continue with our evening, my lord!"

Dom's eyes darted left and right in a guilty fashion. "I just wanted to look good for you, Kel! Besides, women always take the longest! It's a rule, a social convention!"

He _did_ look good. Too good, in fact, for her to get more than a fleeting glimpse of him in a gray tunic, long cape, and breeches, adding an air of mystery his friendly face normally lacked, before she had to look away and take up the charade of not caring. "Since when, Sergeant Domitan, have you known me to follow the path of others?"

"Since now. Come on you two! Cease flirting immediately, or we'll sit between you at the play!" Yuki's singsong voice threatened.

Dom and Kel jerked away from each other and delivered a synchronized glare of indignation to Yuki, causing her to bring her fan in front of her mouth and step back.

"Gracious, I was only joking! What's wrong, Dom? You can tease but I can't repay you for the torture of my fiancé?"

"A-"

"No, we haven't time for you to get started again, Dom," interjected Kel. "We have to leave now, or we'll be running to catch the introduction."

They began walking over. Yuki took Kel aside. "Keladry, I am so sorry for offending you two. I know you're like brother and sister, and I'd hate to think that my careless comment would make things difficult for your friendship. Forgive me?"

Kel smiled, all the while thinking that difficulty in their friendship would make her love easier to bear. "Of course. I wasn't really upset. I know Dom and I will always be friends, no matter how ridiculous your imagination becomes!" Yuki giggled, and stepped up to join Neal. Dom and Kel bickered all the way to the stable, where the players had set up, but it was a tad strained, as if they were trying to convince themselves and others of something.

Two excruciating hours later they exited the "theatre". "Oh, that was so romantic, wasn't it my love?"

"Anything that makes you happy makes me love you more, Yukimi!"

"Oh, Neal!" The couple walked dreamily in the direction of the courtyard, deserted at this time of night.

Kel and Dom looked at each other.

Kel blinked.

Dom swallowed.

Kel's eyes began to sparkle mischievously.

Dom cleared his throat.

They both looked to see if Yuki and Neal were gone.

Turning back, the looked more or less seriously at each other

Howling laughter ensued.

Kel could hardly breathe, she was so overwhelmed with hilarity. Tears leaked out of Dom's eyes as his laughter left the manly range, sounding more like a hyena. This made Kel's hiccupy laughs even harder to bear, so she slumped down on a tree stump, flailing her arms, occasionally hitting her thigh. Finally Kel slapped a hand over her mouth in an effort to calm down.

"My stomach really hurts!" Dom squealed between giggles.

"From laughing or from-that- hehe! -quality-performance?" Kel snorted back.

"I don't know!" His voice went up high.

"And who wrote those lines!! HA! 'For, indeed, my prince, I don't know how I shall survive until our wedding day! I want you SO much'!"

Dom whirled his cloak behind him, "'Alas, fair maiden, 'tis I who shall have difficulty until then!' Luckily for me, your lady's maid has taken quite a shine to me!"

"Oh, gods. I didn't catch that subtext." Kel rolled her eyes.

"Oh yes. Pretty little thing was making eyes at him every time she saw him. And you can bet he noticed, too."

"Right." Kel let that sit there a moment. "I'm assuming that wasn't an intended part of the script, then? It wouldn't fit. The story of epic love, the daring swordfights, the evil villain, and the hero has an affair? No. My romantic maiden's heart tells me that's not how you please an audience of wedding guests."

"Romantic maiden's heart?" Dom raised an eyebrow and looked leeringly at her. "Why Keladry! I never suspected you had one! Next thing I know you'll be swooning over some empty-headed courtier, reading romance novels and writing poetry! Romantic maiden's heart, indeed! " At Kel's hurt look, he swiftly backpedaled. "I-I'm sorry. I just thought you didn't want the whole 'romance' thing addressed seriously. Especially after Cleon-"

"That has nothing to do with Cleon. I act as I see fit, Domitan. I am not trying to fit into anyone's mold or idea of what I should be. If I choose to fall in love, then the fact that others have done it before me in most ridiculous ways will not deter me from acting as my heart dictates. I am not only a knight, but-"

"A Lady knight. Forgive me, most valiant of knights. Kel, I'm sorry. I- well, I suppose I'm so used to treating you like one of the Own that I've trained myself not to mention that you're obviously attractive and the man who gets... no, the man whom you choose will find himself envied by all of us."

Kel just blinked at him confusedly. Her skill in the martial arts frequently drew praise, but it was rare when someone, especially a joker like Dom, admired her as a woman. Especially since it was Dom, and she'd just made a bit of a fool of herself, she didn't know what to do. She had no idea how to respond when he talked like that. It wasn't flirting, it was sincerity. She had to get out of there before she betrayed herself. "Ah, I have to go check on Hoshi. Bye!" She dashed off.

"Well, that was curious." Dom scratched the back of his head as he watched the Lady Knight disappear back into the stable. Kel should know that the horses were put out to pasture for the night. Why did she leave all of a sudden? And why wasn't it vaguely amusing to see the Lady Knight, so recently after proclaiming her courage, running away? They'd never talked of love or relationships before, so perhaps it was a sore subject... except she'd said it had nothing to do with Cleon. Why not? He'd been her only love, as far as Dom knew. Yet this had nothing to do with him, and she ran away. So it must have something to do with Dom... perhaps she was afraid of being made to look a fool?

What was it she'd said? 'I am not trying to fit into anyone's mold.' Funny, that was how he'd described his 'lover' to Neal. Casting couldn't have been better for that particular scene, unlike the horrendous theatrical train wreck he'd just witnessed. He couldn't imagine enjoying the show with anyone else, certainly not another woman. Kel had laughed so hard, trying to keep it quiet, that she'd had to muffle her giggles in his shoulder. The shaking of her body, and the mischievous smile on her half-hidden face made following the plot line challenging, but not as hard as maintaining his interested expression so Yuki didn't scold them. At one point he'd moved his arm, and thought about putting it around her shoulder, remembering only at the last moment that such thoughts in Kel's presence must be vetoed. Why though? She was right! He was treating her like a man, instead of treating her like a woman.

"What did I think she was, a mini-Stump?" Of course she wasn't. She was... Kel. Well, surely he could do better than that, "You've only known the girl for years and have blackmail on her from all of Neal's letters!" She was far too serious, hence his great enjoyment in the riffing they exchanged. Who knew such a tough package contained a master grasp of levity? She liked vegetables, she was the most honorable knight he'd met, her mercy could rival that of the Goddess, teaching came so naturally to her that people sought her out without even knowing her for instruction, she was intensely private, even with him.

She was strong, too. Almost too strong, he thought. How could he figure out her secret?

At first there was the thought of asking for help from the other side; namely Yukimi. Yet it seemed better for both his shy Kel and his cherished ego not to involve the wickedly vengeful Yamani, especially since Kel's rarely disclosed emotions were paramount.

Hmmm, Meathead was out, too. It looked like he was on his own. At least she wasn't angry anymore. With any damsel more traditional, her behavior could be interpreted as a tease designed to confuse him. With Kel, it meant that his unflappable friend had lost her composure. But why?

He felt his brain straining to comprehend the mental processes of the female species once again. She was one tough customer. What had he said to send her running for cover in the stables? The realization that Dom thought of her as if she were one of his male chums? Dom's talk of the man she would find one day? Kel was a commander by years of training; she retreated only when the situation was hopeless and/or the situation was too damaging to her side to be safe. This certainly appeared to apply. Yet what was so frightening about Dom of the Lethal Good Looks?

Ummmmm...

Dom thought furiously, evidenced by the (rather adorable, in his opinion) wrinkle between his kohled eyebrows.

Later, people writing of this romance between such fêted warrior heroes would define Dom's revelation as an intervention of the Goddess. The authors involved were female. Such books are not the domain of priests, monks, or nuns.

"Ah HAH!" Dom leapt to his feet, after sitting so hard on his behind that even as his perception of the feminine mystique deepened considerably, his bottom half cried out in agony from the saddle sores he'd developed riding to the wedding to rendez-vous with his buddy Kel. "She's feeling hopeless that she won't ever find an admirer... but why? AH! Because she just realized that I don't see her as a woman! So she believes that everyone will be as dense as I am!" Dom was feeling extremely pleased with himself for his logical deductions. Of course, she should realize, being his friend, that his façade of confidence was just that. He was not the brilliant thinker he pretended to be. Nor was he stupid, but Dom knew there was a reason why his cousin and friend were the knights and he was a warrior under the King's Own. So she should realize that not every swain she met would be as clueless as he.

Of course, anyone courting his friend Kel would find themselves very much under suspicion and inspection until his worthiness was substantiated. Or her worthiness, though Dom thought her reaction to Cleon ruled out that option, much to his relief. There was something frightening, he supposed to his male pride, about Kel being uninterested in his gender.

He wondered if that was normal for a man of his famed abilities and magnetic attraction.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next morning brought the beginning of Dom's investigation. He _would_ find the man for Kel, despite the fact that it would keep her from him, since she'd be happier if he could only remedy this blindness in his own gender. Bright and early Dom noted Kel's silent efficiency in pattern dances, her determination in the face of her now-obvious frustration.

She, on the other hand, was being driven mad by his incorrigible attention. The man never stopped watching her! It surprised her that his garrulity unsettled as much as it flattered. He was up to something, of this she was sure. She attempted to distract herself through sedulous attention to her pattern dances.

'What man could be unimpressed by such a show of the martial arts?' Dom thought. She was all water and stone, controlled strength, and he could see her impressive, if slightly more developed than was strictly feminine, muscles flawlessly shifting from pose to stance. He couldn't imagine why the other closed-minded men found her form so repulsive. It was as if she had limitless potential compacted into her medium sized frame, and he defied anyone to find that much kinetic energy unappealing. On the few occasions when he had seen her loose her control she had become a powerhouse of passionate vigor. He figured he would have to find someone incredibly strong-willed for her, otherwise she'd pound the unlucky soul into paste on the practice courts. 'Often,' he thought reflectively, 'real strength involves being able to say 'no' when a pretty woman asks if she can challenge you to a contest of physical stamina and skill.'

"Hail to the camp! You there, Lord of the Lethal Appearance?" Kel called to him teasingly.

He shot her a scowl that he hoped was appropriately pernicious. At her laughter he slapped his hands over his ears, a pained expression replacing the venomous one. He huddled into himself and began consoling his ego, "She didn't mean that. You're a stunning specimen of suavity and sex appeal, you're a stunning specimen of suavity and sex appeal, you're a stunning-"

She punched him in the arm, with light pressure he exaggerated. "You can continue with your mantra later! I have to be ready for the challenges that will come next month!" With a wheedling look she attempted to get his help for the upcoming joust, "You _do_ want me to survive to see your immense beauty in my dotage, don't you?" Dom brightened. "Of course," she spoke with an evil look, "you'll be a lot older then. I suppose your face will have wrinkled... and your eyes degenerated... actually, you'll be at the beginning stages of decomposition..."

Dom mock screamed. "NO! I'll practice with you, just DON'T mention that AWFUL fate! Promise me! And promise me you'll still humor my vanity when I'm a rotting shadow of my present splendor!" He grabbed her shoulders and shook her to emphasize the pressing nature of his apprehension.

At this point several others had joined them in the practice yard, currently laughing at Dom's histrionics and Kel's needling. Kel responded to the audience in a manner unlike her usual discretion. She kissed the miserable-looking Dom tenderly. Of course, it was on the cheek, and in puckish circumstances, but the thrill that went through her brought a true Kel smile to her face. Several people in the audience remarked to themselves how uncommonly pretty she looked before turning to see the young King's Own respond.

He did not disappoint.

With one hand on his chest and the other flung wildly behind him, he looked over his bent elbow at Kel, an animated awestruck look on his face. He held that pose for a minute before swinging to his other side, clasping his hands in front of his heart, and falling on his knees in the dust at the center of the ring. In a strident voice he cried, "Milady has blessed me with a heavenly favor from her ripe cherry lips! I can now die a happy man. But, Alas!" He put his hands on his cheeks in sorrow, "Milady can never be with me! I must now sacrifice myself upon the Altar Of Valor, in a vain attempt to win her affections, though I know she is too... far... above me!" At his last lines he jokingly jerked his head up until he was gazing adoringly at Kel. Abruptly he looked away, his mood changing as he arose and addressed the steadily increasing crowd.

"Who shall give me the opportunity to prove my valor by bravely impaling my person upon his sword?" Shocked chuckles rang out at this critique of the old chivalry.

Kel grinned maliciously, "Allow me, Sir Swain! I shall duel you bravely then offer you the oblivion you seek from your... umm..." she tried to describe her other character.

"Cruel mistress!" Dom stage-whispered. "She's always a 'cruel mistress' in these sorts of plays!"

"Ah, yes, your oh-so-cruel mistress... who kissed you, so now you have to die while failing to prove your prowess at the sword...?" She trailed off uncertainly.

Her partner frowned at her, "We're doing thee-aye-truh," he said the word in what he must have thought was a very urbane manner. "The story must never overshadow the questionable acting of the players!"

At this, most of the crowd laughed, but a portion just muttered uncomfortably, looking behind themselves. Kel and Dom didn't notice, as they continued with their game. Kel reassumed her challenger persona. "Then sir," she pulled off a glove. "I challenge you!" She waved the leather gauntlet mockingly in his face.

He looked at her mock-confusedly. "Actually, most things challenge me. Though I cannot understand what I am supposed to do with this," He smirkingly snatched the glove out of her hand. Kel blushed, then her eyes widened at the sight behind Dom.

"Here, allow me," came a voice that sounded like it came from a slimy sort of person. The glove was removed from Dom's hand.

Dom whirled around; having been completely engrossed in his playacting, he had not expected the entrance of a villain.

The man was medium height with long, rakish locks of hair surrounding a handsome face. Now, however, the face appeared thunderous. Dom only got a fleeting impression since the man's fist, clenched around Kel's flimsy glove, made violent acquaintance with his face.

Completely clocked, Dom dropped heavily to the ground. Calm Kel's eyes widened, and she dropped down next to him, assuring herself that he was only stunned. The watching entourage, which now included Neal and Yuki alternated between aghast concern and excited glee for the real confrontation now occurring.

Keladry of Mindelan's eyes flicked up at her beloved's attacker, warm brown suddenly chilling, dreamy gaze lost in eager intensity. She stood quietly, unnoticed as a threat by the big man, now being congratulated by his sycophants, while removing her other glove.

She slapped him with it.

The red mark spread across his cheek as realization of her intent filled his eyes. The pretty man leered at her disdainfully. "You think to challenge ME, 'Milady'? I am the captain of our troupe!" What he'd obviously assumed she knew was his membership in the atrocious acting troupe of the night before. His grievance was understood, though Kel believed the censure of their ability was well-deserved. She quelled further words of his with a quiet husky tone.

"Let this be a warning to you. Inept as you are at reading subtext, I shall make myself very clear." She stepped closer to him, pressing upon his attention her greater height and superior physical condition. "I have fought creatures out of nightmare and madmen with wizardly powers and faced a room filled with my greatest fears in order to serve the greater good. I place nothing before my oath to my King and the knighthood that I hold. The man you assaulted is a wise and witty defender of the King's Justice. It is not only disrespectful to strike him without proper warning, it also borders on the treasonous. You may win awards, and you may play at being a big man with a sword in your hand. But know this:

"Offstage, I'm the one who choreographs the fight scenes."

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Kel and the Captain faced each other across the six foot space dividing them after retrieving their swords. Kel, in deference to the fact that Rafferty, the player "captain", was not a knight, allowed him to choose the conditions of their duel. He churlishly and foolishly decided there was no need to delay and insisted upon swords, the weapon most commonly used onstage. This was foolish as Dom had the opportunity while both were preparing to watch Rafferty with his sword. The man obviously was unused to the greater heft, though his vainglorious airs would not allow him to admit it, and his abortive thrusts presaged a quick battle in Keladry's favor.

While Dom's poor face had undoubtedly been cruelly abused, he kept his thoughts upon his friend. Well, he took a moment now and then to stew in indignation that he had been struck by a player named Rafferty the Quick but tried to distract himself with reminders of his mission. He was unaccountably touched by her gallant attempt to defend his honor. Keladry of Mindelan was an unstoppable force. The position of her values in her mind were only matched by her determination to defend them.

"Your move, Rafferty the Quick. I only hope you are, or there will be a very disappointed ladies' maid in your company." Kel stood at the ready, her hilt in her hand, scabbard in the dust several feet behind her.

Rafferty bristled, bringing a puce tone to his face. A nasty look accompanied his vicious barb, "And you, girl, will be acknowledged by all as the whore you are. En garde!"

Dom saw red. He would... he would... do nothing. This was Kel's fight, as she proved with her next words.

"Quite an accusation, coming from the pure mouth of a player," she jabbed, vocally and physically with her sword, making the pretty man dodge away as she stalked after him. The libidinous character of actors was common knowledge. "Perhaps soon you'll learn to recognize the difference between a woman of noble blood about to run you through and the poor lady who only lets you run her through to pay for her supper."

Rafferty launched into a flurry of furious strikes, and Kel responded by easily retreating from the lethal weapon, blocking him as he repeatedly tried to behead her.

As he viewed the facility with which Kel handled the explosive man in front of her, Dom once again found himself visited by divine guidance. 'She doesn't need a man!' he realized as Kel locked hilts with the player captain, 'she's completely honorable, she's definitely more intelligent than me, and nobody can better defend her than she herself.' The knight used her superior weight to bend the captain backwards a bit before shoving him away, readying herself for another bout.

"So," came a voice at his ear. "Letting a girl fight your battles doesn't make you feel a bit... small?"

Dom looked over at the actor at his shoulder. He was less attractive than Rafferty, but he still had this gilded look about him, marred by the supercilious sneer on his face. "What, and performing in that miserable excuse for a play last night fills one with masculine virility? I think I'll keep defending you from marauding bandits and unstoppable armies for now. You go on applying face paint and wearing dresses if you like that sort of thing!" Frankly he was impressed he'd sunk to these amateurs' levels so quickly. Ah, well. It was a precious expression on the man's face- he looked like a spoiled child who had been withheld a coveted sweet.

"Why you son of a cuckolded monkey in heat!" Dom took a double-take as another fist headed toward his nose. Mentally he groaned and prepared himself for the pain.

"If you had even a modicum of intelligence, you'd know that was physically impossible," came the beloved face-saving voice of the Meathead. Dom's eyes opened and he beamed at the sight of Neal grabbing the man's elbow, creating another attractive wince on the actor's face.

"You know, Neal, I can see why he's an actor. His expressions are adorable," Dom simpered. Every muscle in the captured actor's body tensed.

Neal blinked at Dom's insouciance. "Dom, knock it off. He's a peasant. You know better." He clearly wondered what had his cousin in such a mood.

"Oh, don't let that stop you. Or this will be over much too quickly," another actor had appeared to try and save the pride of the troupe. Behind him ranged three others, all bulky from moving sets from town to town. "We wanna see what little Blue Blood has to recommend himself, or if he keeps his cow around for that," he motioned to Kel. She was still battling Rafferty the Quick, toying with him, wearing him down to the point where he had to take great gasps, and she pretended not to notice his fatigue.

Silence descended among the distracted spectators as Dom's level of affront became tangible. Moving with flawless efficiency, he punched the offending player in the gut, but held him up so he couldn't cradle his pained organs. Unnoticed around him, the other actors launched at him, prompting Neal and Yuki to hold them off. Dom shook the man, "Cast aspersions upon my manhood all you want, but if all you wanted was to be pummeled, you should have said so. Your unimaginative insults bore me." He threw the actor to the ground.

By now Keladry of Mindelan was tiring of her duel. She felt guilty for challenging a man who hadn't the benefit of knighthood training and was not sworn to the rules of chivalry. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted the rest of the troupe trying to attack Neal, Dom and Yuki. Methodically, she entwined her sword with her opponent's, jerking it out of his hand. Pointing both at him, she received his exhausted surrender, bowed to him, and dashed over to the fray.

Yuki was doing quite well for herself, especially given that most of the players were too afraid to strike an obviously noble and fragile lady. Luckily she had her shukusen with her, and actors fell unconscious from her subtle attacks. Dom had just emerged from his tête-à-tête with his truculent actor when Kel and another arrived at their chaotic group.

"HALT! Cease this brawling immediately! Lady Keladry, take Nealan and Domitan to the infirmary, then the three of you are to report to my office for an explanation of this malfeasance! For everyone else, these three will pay for the injuries you can prove they caused. Now disperse!" Lord Wyldon had a cold water effect even on those who hadn't trained under him since childhood.

Breathing heavily and mentally berating herself, Keladry supported the stunned Neal while Yuki held her handkerchief to a small wound on Dom's forehead. Yuki's grumbles and Neal's tired repartees were the only sounds as the group walked the short distance to the first floor room in the fort set aside for healing. It was to both young men's good fortune that the Duke Baird had not yet arrived, so they escaped his lecture, facing only a diminutive blonde who tsk-ed at their story.

"My Lord is not toleratin' such behavior naedays," she said. "Ye'd be wise to take whate'er punishmen' he gi'es without protestin'." Even Dom's charming flirting didn't seem to calm her strict manner. She sent them off a few minutes later, having healed Neal.

Kel walked towards Wyldon's office after leaving the men to the healers. She had never been afraid of discipline. However, normally she was at least convinced that she was right; In this case she did not possess such a luxury. It was with a weighted heart that she knocked on the door of the man whose respect she had fought so hard to win.

"Enter!" His gruff voice gave her little hope of redemption. Eyes as sharp as merciless as a stooping hawk's captured hers. "Mindelan! Good. You came alone. How did this happen, Knight?"

She stood tall and firm, prepared for the dressing-down she knew was imminent. "My apologies, sir. I have brought shame upon myself by taunting the players. When Captain Rafferty responded to my calumnies, I challenged him to a duel. We fought, and my superior training easily bested his dilettante expertise. The others brawled only on my command- I did not want the other players to become involved in my duel. I have not comported myself in a way that befits the honor of a knight. I await my punishment happily and shall not argue no matter the severity. Here is my sword sir." She kneeled ceremoniously, presenting her superior with the leather-wrapped hilt of her weapon.

She didn't see his face, her own lowered in shame, but she heard the heavy sigh before his voice rescued her from the histrionics of her guilty mind. "While your description of your behavior is not cogent with what I have come to expect from my Lady Knight, as in your page days, I have no other recourse but to hold you culpable.

"The behavior of a knight is based upon the rules of chivalry. One cannot become a knight without learning to uphold these rules in all aspects of his life. The Chamber ensures this, as without the ability to place these beliefs above the petty cruelties of others, we would not have survived the experience. You have grown too sure of yourself, Mindelan." He tapped his fingers on the desk a moment. His office was barely furnished, with a fireplace, a map of the immediate area above it, and a gently-used carpet collecting wayward dust on the floor. He opened his mouth to speak her fate, when a knock interrupted him, prompting a scowl onto his severe features. "Enter, now."

Clearly, he had not cheered since the others had last seen him, thought Dom. Of course, this would have been a most unexpected windfall if Lord Wyldon had forgotten a misbehavior, but a man could dream, couldn't he? Looking around, he saw that Neal was standing at attention, face wiped of all expression. Yuki was looking about as mysteriously Yamani as Dom had ever seen her, eyes slitted almost shut, hands demure, stance unthreatening, body stiff with repressed energy. Dom himself stood easily, though respectfully. He knew brawling was undignified and beneath him, but he was allowed to express his opinion. What others felt about his assessment was their own business, and in no way were they justified in an attack on himself, let alone Kel, a lady knight!

It was her position that most incensed him at the moment. She was offering her sword to Wyldon! Kneeling, her head bent in submission! It wasn't difficult to deduce what Kel had intended by coming to Wyldon while they were otherwise engaged. Wyldon confirmed his apprehensions.

"Knight Mindelan, you are hereby sentenced to removal of leave, effective tonight at nine. I shall not deprive your former Knight Master of your presence, divisive though it seems to be. You will depart for Thornfall via the Great North Road, bypassing Corus until you have completed your task. Your mission is to train the residents of Thornfall and the surrounding hamlets of Pejon, Munkelby, and Red Cliffs to combat the small band of robbers infesting the area. The city leaders have been told to expect an authority, you will simply be more than they were expecting. You will behave in a respectful manner, and perhaps exposure to the plight of the commoners will encourage you to be a bit more adamant in their defense."

Dom had to forcibly restrain himself from simultaneously fuming and throwing something. As if Kel was anything but defensive of those under her care! She didn't harm the player captain, though she certainly had the means, and could her actions for Lalasa be forgotten so quickly by the lord? By the tensing of her body, Kel was hurt by the accusation, yet she said nothing.

Then, "I shall endeavor to do yourself and the title Knight honor, milord. May I be excused to prepare myself for my journey?"

Amazingly, Wyldon ignored her. "Masbolle! Queenscove! You are to report to Yerkley in Corus upon your return to muck out the stalls. Be late and risk an extension on the week of duty I already assigned. Now, please escort the Lady Knight to her rooms until the ceremony. I expect you to prepare for some adverse weather, Mindelan." Still, Kel sat where she was. She knew she was being punished, as well as tested to see if she would give on her story. She remained on her knees, though the rough wood had begun to dig splinters into her knees. After all, what sort of pain was Rafferty the Quick enduring at his loss to a woman? It would not matter that she was a knight. She certainly had not behaved as one.

A few minutes passed. "My Lord?" Yuki ventured.

Wyldon looked up from his work. "Lady, you will have to receive punishment elsewhere. I do not punish Noble Women." Kel noticed the dig, turning to stone so she wouldn't feel the pain of his disapproval.

"Indeed, sir. Perhaps if you would dismiss us, I could request such of the Queen." Yuki balanced on the edge of civility. She had always admired Kel.

"Go, then." Wyldon negligently grunted as he returned his attention to his maps. They left.

Kel left that night, immediately following the wedding. She rode through the sunrise, then she and Hoshi bedded down for couple hours of blissful oblivion.

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"She didn't even say goodbye..."

"Dom, you sound like a child. She will be back. It will take more than a gang of robbers to halt her! Remember what I told you about our first year?"

"But... she just _left_."

"That's what Wyldon wanted her to do. He was pretty close to boiling, or did you miss the steam escaping his ears?"

"And now she's all alone..."

"Are you even listening to yourself?! You know she's my little sister too, but you don't see me bawling like a prima donna!"

"Just her and Hoshi..."

Neal lost control and "gently" rammed Dom's head against the hitching post. "Get in the joust, cousin, and clean up that dross!" Dom let out a small sound of pain, but his eyes came into focus. Neal handed his cousin a shovel and pulled him up, facing a most impressive pile of horse droppings. "Since you insist upon being in a stupor, I'll take bucket duty. Hag's Breasts!"

Pause. Neal began walking away as Dom positioned himself with the shovel to begin digging.

"... She'll be sinking into a mire of depression without us..."

Neal stiffened. "Arg!" He lifted a hand to smack his irritating cousin, only to be smacked himself. He blinked confusedly. "Wha-?"

Dom made eye contact, smirking at the success of his taunt. "Don't curse like that! There are ladies present." He gestured to Peachblossom.

Neal blinked and looked at the affronted horse before letting out a snort. The horse did not appreciate the humor of the situation. Instead, he attempted to express his still less-than-friendly feelings for the related irritants now mucking out the stall next to his.

"OUCH!"

"Pain-pain-pain!"

Satisfied by the beautiful rumpus caused by his actions, the destrier returned to his daydreams of the apples he had yet to bite.

"You okay, Meathead?"

"Fine, fine. As if you really cared. All you've been talking about all afternoon is Kel. You'd think she'd been banished, not punished with an assignment she'd do happily anyway."

"Seriously, Neal, did you see her face? It was like she was... erased. Like there was nothing left..."

"That's Kel, you know that. She's got the best face for gambling I've ever seen. It's a Yamani trait, I think. I never know when Yuki's going to spring something utterly horrendous on me until she smiles that smile that makes me-"

Dom's eyes had widened. "I don't really need to know, chum. I really don't want to, in fact! Goodness' sake, young man, do attempt to keep some sort of propriety!"

"Someday you'll find a girl-" Neal threatened

"I've got Kel!" Dom knew girls!

"A girl who isn't like your sister, lunkhead, and I'll be able to laugh in your face when you're wrapped around her little finger-" Dom stopped listening at this point. It didn't matter since Neal's attention was on his bucket of water and his poetic dreams of his love. This was not the time for such talking! Kel needed him! She needed him to cheer her up! He knew he could too! It was always helpful in such situations to have Neal to knock around, but Dom was also prepared to let her beat the stuffing out of him if it would get her to laugh. Or smile. Or feel even slightly satisfied in her own self-worth. Neal could believe what he wanted, but Dom knew Kel was in serious need of encouragement.

She had taken this too hard. Obviously she always felt the need to behave better than anyone else, so she could prove to Wyldon that she really belonged there. When Dom had spoken to Lord Wyldon that morning, he'd discovered that Kel had not even mentioned that both of them had been insulted most crudely by the players. A man could defend his honor or that of his fellow. Wyldon had lightened their sentence but would do nothing about Kel's since she'd already gone. True, their response had been crude, but they had not been childishly scrapping.

Now nobody was there to keep Kel from the deleterious effects of her own conscience. He should be there! After all, as Neal said, that was what brothers did for their sisters!

Dom paused in his rhythmic shoveling. Sister? Hmm, that didn't quite seem right. Kel wasn't so much a sister to him. He wasn't overly protective of her, like he'd observed brothers to be. He knew she could handle herself, and he saw her as being at his own level of maturity... perhaps higher, the voice of Neal in his head prompted. She was his confidant, his partner in mirth, he her ally in play, her support in strife. She was the woman he respected most, and though he loved her, she wasn't his sister. She was his equal.

Equal in a way Neal would never be, Dom realized, stepping back while his cousin washed the floor he'd just cleared. Keladry of Mindelan was the most phenomenal woman he had ever met, and he hated being parted from her. It was like he was incomplete without her, like she allowed him to reach his full potential. There was also, he reflected amazedly, something... pulling... about her mere presence. Like he got something from being with her that he didn't get from anyone or anything else. And he wanted that. He wanted to be there for her now, but mostly he just wanted to be there _with_ her. He wanted _her_.

A fog lifted from his brain. All of a sudden, his own thoughts shocked him. He desired Kel! Kel the knight! His crony, his fellow wordsmith, the only woman who could put him in the dirt in combat. Though to be fair, she was the only woman he felt comfortable combating either. At this moment, his mind befuddled him again with scenes of Kel in the past, her attractions highlighted as he'd never seen before- the nervous flirt of her eye, the quirk of a light brow, the playful strength of her hand, the small but definite curve of her bosom, and the enticing smirk of her mouth.

"Gods above preserve me," he panted as he continued to think such things about his best friend as to make his placid cousin challenge him to a death duel.


	3. Tortall Recall

RECAP: for Nutz Nina

Dom: Neal loves Yuki! If I tell my true love, will you tell yours?

Neal: Okay!

Dom: MIlady, I love you!

Kel: Really!?

Dom: No, I was just saying that to trick Neal. Isn't it funny?

Kel: Har-de-frickin'-har. You're an idiot.

Dom: I know.

Neal: You leave Yuki alone, Dom! I love her!

Yuki: (kisses Neal)

Dom: Well, that worked.

Kel: You're an idiot.

Dom: I know.

Kel: Sigh! Dom has a cute-

Dom: Huh? Did you say something?

Kel: Nothing. I'm just madly in love with you.

Dom: Oh, okay. You know I hate it when you're subtle.

Kel: You're an idiot.

Dom: I know.

Yuki: You two need to stop flirting! Just kidding! I know your feelings are totally platonic and will never ever change because that would be sick and so wrong.

Kel: Um, thanks.

Neal & Yuki: (coo like doves at each other)

Kel & Dom: You two are SO lame.

Dom: I'm going to imply that I don't find you at all feminine.

Kel: Grrrrr.

Dom: Now I'm going to backtrack and deny it all, since I know that's what you want to hear and you scare me more than the demons of the underworld.

Kel: Awww... Sniff. Gotta go!

Dom: Now watch me attempt to figure out what Kel's doing, acting all girly and stuff. Ah Hah! I've figured it out! She needs a man!

Kel: Take THIS you FOUL DISGUSTING excuse for HUMANITY! And THIS! And a wee bit of THAT for EMPHASIS!

Dom: Oh. She doesn't need a man. And she's hot when she's angry.

Wyldon: Kel. You're acting hormonal. Get thee away from me for awhile. Until it's over.

Dom: Sniff... I miss her.

Neal: I hate you.

Dom: I know. But I've got Kel.

Neal: She's your sister. Siblings hate each other, just like cousins.

Dom: But-- I'm having an epiphany! She's not my sister! She's a fox! And I'm madly in love with her!

DUN DUN DUUUUN!

Okay everyone… Romance starts in the next chapter. The fessing up comes in the next chapter. It is written, but I have to take a couple of days and make sure I still like it then, once I'm out of my little garret-place in my mind. Cause sometimes it only makes sense to me when I'm writing it. In the meantime, I'm going to finally put all of Part II into one chapter. So I don't know if it'll inform you of that in chappy alerts, but the new chapter should be titled Part III.

REPEAT: THE NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE TITLED PART III!!!

So don't get angry at me. I'm very sensitive and dolphins make me cry.


	4. Part III

PART III: Corus

Kel had never missed Tobe more in her life. The villagers of Thornfall and its surrounding hamlets had been kind and solicitous, but what she wouldn't give for some supportive companionship. The little boy had somehow become her confidant, and she truly regretted that he had not been born a few years before, so she could fully confide in him. She was sure a teenaged Tobe would have only the most supportive things to say about the bedbugs that had been haunting the first mattress they'd given her, about the insincere obedience she received from the men under her militia command, and the heartsickness that plagued her every moment she did not throw herself into work.

The Lady Knight had awoken for practice one day to discover that her waist had lost a buckle's length in size. Since then she'd had to consciously monitor her nourishment, focusing on eating plenty of meat as well as her customary vegetables. While the weight had returned along with the muscle she'd sacrificed to her broken heart, she still got little pleasure from eating, and she often felt the desire to throw a pie into Dom's dear face for the hell loving him was proving to be.

At last, though, she was almost home. She was lying on the ground, wrapped in one of Hoshi's saddle blankets, waiting for the first bit of sunlight to peek over the paling lavender horizon. It was a hungry, lonely, thoroughly depressed yet successful Kel coming home to Corus. The bandits had been routed, the citizens of Thornfall had been unwillingly cooperative, meaning she had been forced to bully several of the men before they'd succumbed to her clearly greater experience, and she had rescued a damsel in distress. All in a knight's job description, really. She figured now came the dragon-slaying part. Despite how much she tried to picture herself as stone, she missed him too much to contemplate calm. She was less of a knight lovesick. It was intolerable.

As she rode along on that last day, and the fields and forests gave way to the stretching fingers of civilization, Kel wished she could stay away longer. She had no idea how to react to Dom. He was... her Dom. She couldn't leave him just because she'd fallen for his famous charm, but she also couldn't stay too close, for fear of hurting herself further. There was no help for it. She was doomed. Her cheery thoughts were upset by the sound of shouting as she entered the guarded wall around the city center.

"KEL, my pearl!"

"KELADRY!"

"Thank the LADY, you're back, protectress of my SANITY!" This one came from Neal, who'd had Dom duty the last several days. The fidgety Sergeant had kept the mischevious medic on his toes, and Neal was eager to hand him over to the 'calming' influence of Kel. All three of them, Dom, Yuki, and Neal ran to help her off Hoshi. No sooner was she on her feet than she found herself lifted off them by the slightly taller Dom.

Dom felt himself relax for the first time in months. Amazing how the simple realization of his feelings could make being without her so torturous and her presence so much more essential. As he held her close, he relished her heartbeat against him, and her good-natured grousing in his ear. He felt so right, holding her.

'This is home.'

The thought came as a surprise, but she tried to keep her Yamani mask up.

They both blushed at Neal's, "Okay, you two, we get it! No more overly-romantic reunions in front of you," and split apart. Kel was promptly deluged by kisses and hugs from Yuki, while Dom turned to Neal and proceeded to lift him off his feet, in a parody of his more sincere embrace with Kel.

"You were jealous, weren't you, darling?" Dom crooned to a stricken Neal. "I am afraid that since we are cousins, your love must remain, alas!" He set Neal down and stepped mock-regretfully back, "-unrequited!"

As Dom pretended to be repelling his 'advances', Neal whined, "Kel, he's been like this since you left! I wanted to hurt him, but Yuki wouldn't let me! He's fallen off the wagon at last."

Kel and Yuki, who had been giggling at the sight of the two men making a spectacle of themselves, parted, and Kel pulled Neal into a deep hug. "Oh my poor Meathead. Can't you see that's what he's trying to do to YOU! This is a most clever plot by our much older and more immature friend to finally drive you to the brink."

"And he was falling for it, Lord knows, until you poked your pert little nose into my brilliant plan."

Kel turned to face Dom. "I apologize. I suppose then I should just go back to my villagers then..."

"No! I mean-"

" -- since you OBVIOUSLY don't want me here."

"KEL!" Neal yelped. "Don't even JOKE about going away. There will be steel between my cousin and I if you do, and I am not going to beg forgiveness if he becomes a soprano."

Everyone's' eyes widened at the serious threat. Dom even winced and tried to cover a strategic area. Suddenly Kel's eyes took on an evil twinkle. She spoke to Dom in a whisper, "Never fear, threatened one! For I am the Protector of the Small!"

Dom's eyes bulged comically, and for a moment he looked like he might faint, his face turned so red. Kel, feeling a bit apprehensive after her daring comment waited for the explosion.

"I-

"You-

"She-"

Neal and Yuki had been leaning closer and closer in an attempt to figure out what had passed between the two, only to be confused by the Sergeant's abortive exclamations. They spread their hands to urge Dom on.

He couldn't.

"HA! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Everyone jumped back, even the duty officers on the wall, except Kel, who sagged with relief before shining a lovely smile at Dom, quickly following him once again into hilarious laughter.

Several minutes later, when even Neal and Yuki had given up on them and had left to take Kel's bags to her room, Dom and Kel were leaning on each other with teary eyes.

"I- gasp!- didn't know you had it -breath!- in you!" Dom crowed proudly.

Kel beamed at him. "I've missed you, Dom! You seem to be my inappropriate behavior muse." She blushed.

He winked kindly, clearly ignoring a joking opportunity, "Always happy to foster mayhem in the younger generations. Besides, what took you so long? I've been waiting for you to come home forever!"

She rolled her eyes at his hyperbolical comments and turned her back on him, relishing in the thought that he'd missed her too. "I'll tell you over dinner, alright? I've got to get Hoshi untacked and scrubbed down, do the same for myself, unpack, clean the room, check Peachblossom-" Dom separated her busy fingers from the ties on the horse's back, capturing them in his hand.

"Whoa, there. How about, just this once, I take care of Hoshi and the stable, and you get rested and cleaned up for dinner." He looked her over. "Kel, you look exhausted. I don't want to know why now, but I'll need an explanation by dinner. And it better be the truth! Between now and then you take a bath and a nap. I'll stop by to pick you up for late dinner." He hugged her, brushing a light kiss on her forehead. "It's good to have my Kel home."

Kel watched in a flummox as he walked away, the tired equine behind him. Next thing Kel knew, her bath was drawn and she was thinking fondly of sleep and the man who made it impossible.

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He accepted her tale well enough, though her 'homesickness' gave him pause, as he couldn't recall her ever having such an ailment before. Perhaps she had just been leery of admitting it in front of a bevy of boys who all waited for proof of her weakness. If that was the case, then Dom was delighted that she trusted so much in him. If not, there was still hope that she was secretly madly in love with him and languished in secret because she thought he didn't love her, but he did, so if she'd only trust him then maybe the whole mess would be over except he also wasn't telling her that he was madly in love with her and was having trouble being happy without her knowing, so maybe he should tell her, though she might just be getting sick which would be horrible since not only wasn't she in love with him but she would also probably die without ever having known how much he loved her, and even if he told her, she'd be dead and his life would be over forever and he'd have to live the remainder of his days alone and in terrible misery...

Yes, Dom thought, that was a good reason to keep silent. He stretched his sore arm and grimaced at the pain that shot up it. To go to Duke Baird or not? Healing or bed? A jaw-cracking yawn turned his footsteps toward his room. By the time he got there, his mental grousing had turned from Kel's ambivalence and his sore arm from jousting with her earlier that day to the draftiness of the castle and the sheer ridiculous size of it all. Did they really need that much space to run a kingdom? It was just a little kingdom... relatively. Sort of.

Upon opening his door a twittering blur flew into his face, startling him out of his brown study. "What are you doing here?" Then, urgently, "Is Kel safe?" An affirmative chirp and the bird landed on Dom's suddenly less tense shoulder. "Well thank you for visiting. What is it?" The bird flew over to his desk, which, he realized bore more than his usual stack of books, and zoomed back, a rolled note in its beak. It read thus:

Dom,

I am sorry for hitting you so hard in the joust. Sometimes Peachblossom gets tired of letting you boys get off scot-free, and it looks like today he's had it. What he did not have was his favorite honeyed oats. While he was easy to punish, I'm afraid I have no instant remedy for your injury. Instead, I send along some warm honeyed oats with berries (not Peachblossom's, but if you want you can tell him it was!), a muscle-soothing tincture which My Lord Baird assures me is a panacea for whatever you may have damaged, and some bandages, made by Lalasa. These always work for me, though I told them the scented bandages might be a bit much for a man. At any rate, I am sorry, and I wanted to show you how much I appreciated what you did for Hoshi the other night. Sleep well, and I shall hope to see you at breakfast.

Yours,

Kel

"Gods, but I think I love that woman."

The words echoed around the room for a moment before Dom grinned at them, for the first time stating aloud his confused conclusion.

Then it was time to eat, and he turned his attention to the previously unnoticed kitchen tray.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next morning, after breakfast, Kel was wondering if Dom had gotten her note and apology. He'd acted normal, joking with Neal with the vegetables, both of them theatrically eating their assigned portions as a strict Kel sat by with a keen eye and twitching mouth.

As it turned out, he'd replied with quite the apposite response. Upon reaching Peachblossom's stall she found a small mesh bag with coal inside it, decorated with a blue satin bow. Next door, Hoshi had a similar bag, only it contained honeyed oats, wrapped with a pink bow. Peachblossom's mood did not improve.

Kel's, however, amazingly did.

She responded with the perfect gift for his niece's birthday, which she had known Dom would forget. Lalasa even allowed Kel to help with some of the simpler stitching on the sweet baby blessing gown. This allowed Kel to include the proud note: And I helped!

She was still having difficulty sleeping, but she spent her free time in the nights attempting to focus on her knighthood. She read books on strategy, practiced her math, and even took to tutoring squires in the evenings. Still he was unavoidable, in her thoughts, in her life.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dom was determined to cheer Kel up. He tried everything he could. Their exchange of good deeds became more random, with neither of them willing to wait for the other to give first. What was amazing to him was, nobody noticed anything out of the ordinary! When he left a small bouquet by Kel's place at breakfast, their friends all assumed that some servant championed by Kel had left it, though Kel's secret smile told him his gesture was appreciated. He wondered if she truly appreciated what he meant. Most of the time, though, the gifts were more prosaic; a dinner request with the chefs for Dom's favorite meal three times in one week, a stable fairy cleaning out Hoshi and Peachblossom's stalls, a broken practice weapon miraculously replaced and the receipt left for repayment on the desk.

No matter what he did, though, Dom couldn't seem to help Kel. She looked broken. As a result, he felt broken. And Kel would be leaving in a week on maneuvers. Which led him to one incontrovertible conclusion:

Something had to give.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It had been a real laugh to find the theater tickets from Dom (or at the time she correctly assumed it was Dom) on her window ledge. She canceled practice with the squires and wheedlingly invited her closest friend along. Of course Dom had planned it all that way, and after the obligatory hemming and hawing about all the dates he'd have to cancel, they delightedly wandered down into the very casual pub to see the show.

This one was of higher quality than the previous performance they had taken in together, but that didn't stop them from quenching their giggles all the way back to Kel's room. Eventually they made so much noise that Tobe dragged himself out of bed and castigated them.

"You two are supposed to be grown-ups! How's a fellow supposed to get some sleep with you two nattering on? I'm going to get food, and when I get back it better be a LOT quieter 'round here!"

Dom looked like he'd been shrunk three feet. Kel looked like she'd swallowed an orange whole. They watched amazedly as the shy half-asleep boy tottered out the door in high dudgeon, closing it behind him.

Silence reigned.

"What HAPPENED to him while I was gone, Dom?" Kel queried in a high voice.

"I- I don't know! But it's a beautiful thing, isn't it? I do believe that our little Tobe is entering adolescence!" Dom was now smirking in glee.

Kel blanched. "Oh, no."

Wickedness was bubbling in Dom's voice. "You do recall what young boys are like, don't you? Noisy, disrespectful, rowdy, divisive, quarrelsome, superior, smelly, rude, foolish, insensitive-"

"And very much like you are now, Dom."

"I beg your pardon, I smell perfectly pleasant. See?" He gave her a large comic hug.

Then he didn't stop.

They were both enjoying this far too much.

Kel had to admit that he did smell pleasant. Then again, she found him lovable even sweat-soaked and disgusting. Her nose was brushing his ear, and she inhaled deeply, resolving to keep this memory forever, in all its minutiae. He smelled woody and leathery, sharply of steel and organically of soil, all the things that defined home and her place in the world.

It felt... good. No, Dom thought, it felt right, safe, like closure and beginnings, hope and tomorrow, nostalgia and present loveliness. There was no reason why he shouldn't do this all the time, no reason why he couldn't be with Kel. Except Kel. He loosened his arms slightly around her. And she... she... rested her head on his shoulder!

Brilliant, he thought! Either she's so exhausted she'll not remember me doing this in the morning or she really does feel the same way! Just to clarify, he sent a quick prayer to the Lady, requesting the latter. "Hey, Kel?"

Roused out of her blissful daydream, Kel nodded, unwilling to face reality.

"I need to tell you two things in all seriousness, and I need you to believe me, and tell me what you think, without worrying about hurt feelings on either side."

Was that a death knell? Kel thought as she sharply pulled back. He looked frighteningly staid.

"Tobe is right, Kel. We do need to be more mature about this. We both have responsibilities and we can't afford to blunder around, not knowing how we truly feel about each other. You're an essential part of my life, and I cannot lose you."

Kel was on tenterhooks, wondering whether she should lie or tell the truth, and the next second questioning whether she actually knew what he was talking about.

It sounded, though, like he wanted her to admit her feelings for him, so they both could get on with their lives. But she wouldn't! She shook her head. No way in the Realms of the Gods was Kel going to dismiss this like it didn't matter! She loved him, and she might not have the desire to love anybody else her entire life.

Dom saw the shake of Kel's head, and had to get out what he wanted to say before he lost his nerve or said something stupid. So out came his final galvanic thought:

"I want to marry you."

At that point the only thing that would have startled her more was to hear that he was pregnant with Wyldon's baby.

Ew.

Which didn't bear thinking about, in fact, should not ever be thought about upon pain of death, and what were these black spots appearing in her vision?

She sat down hard on her bed. Sadly, she missed and landed hard upon the floor. Dom cocked his head in concern, but paid more attention to the hyperventilation she was preventing.

"Breathe, Kel." He sighed and plopped down next to her. "Look I hope this sounds as crazy to you as it does to me, but I also cannot imagine taking this courtship any further without you knowing how serious I am."

"C-courtship?" Kel's warm brown irises stood out against the whites of her eyes.

Dom nervously scratched the back of his neck. "Well, I know. I haven't pulled out the big weapons yet. I've only made you swoon this one time, and I know I have a long way to go as far as noticing when you have changed your hair and-"

Kel held up her hand. This was highly embarrassing. How many girls found themselves being courted by the man of their dreams, only to not notice?

All thought processes stopped. Once again the breathing followed. Dom loved her, too! Or, at least, he wanted to marry her! For the puckish Dom, wouldn't that be the same thing?

But didn't it also sound a lot like one of Dom's jokes?

Shakily she got to her feet, hearing gone slightly tinny. He looked up at her like a homeless puppy. She fumed. The stone cracked under the pressure. "How... DARE... you!"

Dom jumped up to grab her shoulders just as the door swung open, hitting her knees rather harshly.

Tobe: "Oops."

Dom: "Ouchie?"

Kel: "Mithros and Goddess!" She hopped around, finally writhing in a pathetic mass on the floor, attempting to circulate the pain away from that area.

The boys watched in great discomfort.

"Milady I am so sorry. And after I talked so rude! Please forgive me! Is there anything I can do? Let me set you up on your bed! Can I get you some tea? What about that book you been reading? On the Ordeal and the like?" Tobe bustled around, drawing her out of her irritation with his consideration.

Once again she wobbled to her feet. "I'm alright, boys. But if anyone hears about that, so help me... well, let's just say the vegetables will be the least of your worries!" Tobe nodded, as did Dom, but she wasn't looking at him.

He decided now was a good time to leave and drown his sorrows in a hot cocoa.

"Dom!"

He perked up. "Yes, Lady Knight, whom I fear and adore?"

Still not looking at him, she colored. "I, ah, my knees hurt, would you please walk with me?"

Next thing he knew, he was being rather expertly steered to his room by the crippled knight. He tried, "Kel? Uh-"

Her hand stopped his lips, "No. You don't get to talk yet."

He could tell she was conscientiously mulling their conversation so he left her to her thoughts, hoping she'd suddenly have a 'Dom Epiphany' that she loved him too and would love nothing more than to marry him.

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"Now," Keladry of Mindelan sat upon Dom's bed, looking at the sheepish and bewildered Sergeant seated on the floor. "I have to tell you something." Deep breath. "Dom, I love you." She stopped him from reacting by turning away. "I've loved you I don't know how long; probably since I met you. This is the second time you've made a joke like this, and I have to tell you... I just ... can't... take it anymore." She sniffled. "It's hard enough seeing you all the time, but if I have to sit and listen to you saying such things... Dom, it's killing me. I love you, and I can't bear to lose you, but --"

Her outpouring of words was halted by Dom reaching for her hands. Pulling her around, she was further silenced by his eyes locking onto hers with single-minded focus. A shudder went through her body at the intensity. He spoke. "Keladry. You love me? Enough to wed me?"

The surprise with which she greeted her tears falling did not obscure the answer in those brown eyes.

He smiled gently, and she thought it rather looked like he had swallowed some bright light, the way he appeared almost ready to combust with emotion. His voice shaky, he brushed a hand on her damp cheek. "Mindelan. And you said I was the dull one. I truly do want to marry you. I've never been more sure of anything in my life." He swallowed. "As soon as I realized I love you I decided I would have no one else the rest of my days."

She was blinking at him incredulously, even as those obnoxious tears continued their travails down her face.

Dom, who was a bit choked up at this point as well, coughed lightly and joked, "Next time, perhaps I should try the courtship bit longer, shall I?" his mouth quirked weakly.

Kel suddenly found her whole body resonating with joy. Her heart felt like a hummingbird was trapped in it, her toes and feet tingled, and her mouth was very slowly inching into a delirious smile. She gazed at her man fondly, "you love me, Domitan of Masbolle?"

His goofy grin accompanied his agreement, "I do love you, Keladry."

A deep breath was followed by a release intended to calm her adrenalin-inundated body. Figuring such methods to be pretty useless at this point, Kel placed a trembling hand on Dom's chest, bringing his intense focus to his gaze. She shrank beneath it, eyes focusing the floor. After another breath Kel said, "B-but I'm not ladylike at all. I fight better than you half the time, and I don't know how to sew very well, and I won't manage your home for you. I'm too tall and not dainty, and I'm the 'Yamani Cow' for Mother's sake! You're handsome and charming, strong and brave, and- and- and you're just beautiful Dom, and I'm not good enough for you!" Finally she wailed to a stop.

During this most surprising speech, the hand resting gently on Dom's chest had become restive, pushing and lightly hitting him until he was backed up against a wall, the upset specimen of womanhood in front of him quickly losing control. He assumed disaster control position, "Kel! I didn't fall in love with you only to want you to be someone else. I love Kel, my friend Kel, who can best me, let's face it, most of the time, who makes me look like the paragon of gentility she's so inept at balls and court functions. I love you, muscles, short hair, right hook and all! You're my best friend. How could anybody else begin to compare?" Please..." he savored the word, "Love... I know it won't be, well, a normal marriage," they shared a rueful smile, "But I can't stop you from fighting. That's what we do. I've thought about it a lot," She snorted. "And- HEY!"

"Sorry, Dom. Go on with your passionate speech." Kel smirked at him.

Instead of continuing to act offended, he resignedly reached into his pocket. "Well, then, I'm sure you won't mind if I consult my notes," a scrap of paper appeared in his hand. "Let's see, 'I've thought about it a lot, and we pledged our lives to Jonathan first. As awful it is to consider, either of us could die at any time. I want to spend as much time with the woman I love,'" Looking up, he saw that Kel was getting teary again, so he mocked writing on the paper, "woman I love, K-E-L-A-D-" She smacked him hard upside his head.

"Domitan of Masbolle!" Her voice came out louder than she was intending. "How dare you give me a prewritten love declaration!"

Shrinking away in pretend fear, Dom protested, "Mithros, woman! How the devil am I supposed to figure out what you want?! Either my courtship is too sudden or my proposal too well-prepared!" He dramatically dropped to his knees. "Milady! Marry me, or put my poor swain's heart out of its misery!" He grabbed on to her pant legs and chased her around the room on his knees, to her hysterical laughter.

Finally he tripped her up, and she fell to the floor, hiccuping giggles. "Oh, Dom! I love you!" She laughed a bit more, looking up to see him giving her the same expression Jump had used when he wanted something desperately. A tender smile calmed her by mysteriously appearing on her face. "Oh, Dom." He made a pathetic inquiring noise. She pretended to think. "Well, let's see. DOM! Of course, I'll marry you! I'd marry you tonight if I could!"

He was upon her in a blink, more serious than she had ever seen him, as he kissed her. Instead of something new and strange as it had been with Cleon, this kiss cemented the feeling of homecoming she'd received from his embrace weeks before. There was something indescribably right about his arms around her, his lips on hers, his hair beneath her hands. Suddenly, he jerked back. "Did you mean that?!"

Annoyed, she tried to kiss him again, but he pulled back. "Grr! Dom, what do you mean?!"

Intently he asked her, "Will you marry me tonight, Kel? If I can find someone to wed us, will you be my bride this night?"

His charming features, lit with such hope and such sincerity could only make her believe this course was correct... even if it meant she'd have to wait until afterwards for more delightful kisses. "Let's Dom! Who would be here? Who could we-"

"I've got it!" He hit himself in the head. "OW! Anyway, there was a council meeting after dinner, they must be finishing up around now! Let's go see Jon and Thayet!"

"THE KING AND QUEEN?!" Kel yelped. "What-?" But Dom was already moving, pulling Kel up behind him, opening the door, and guiding her out into the hallway.

"We must hurry, Kel! Come on!"

Shortly, they arrived outside the royal wing. Stating their business, consultation with the royal couple, they were allowed through to the salon where Thayet sat, feet up on the love seat.

"Pardon me if I don't rise, it has been a rather full day." She gestured them to the two comfy chairs bracketing the love seat. "My lord will be here in a moment, what can I do for you?"

"Your Majesty," Dom began, "I would beg a boon-"

Grumbling in disgust, King Jonathan III blundered into the room, his attractive face contorted in a frown. "Demonic politicians! Why can't they just go live in someone else's country?"

Looking apologetically at the visiting couple, Thayet brought his attention to the room, "Well, darling, then anybody could do your job. Now, sit down. I'm afraid I'm not moving my feet for you, so you'll have to pull up your own seat."

Nodding to acknowledge Kel and Dom, a more tranquil Jon strolled over to his far-too-serene wife, proceeding to lift her up bodily, taking her seat on the couch, and placing her on top of himself. "Now, "Jon said, "what brings my lady knight and sergeant up so late?"

Kel let Dom speak, "Your Majesties, I would beg a boon. I ask you to marry us with your blessing."

"What?!"

"When did this happen?"

They explained to the flabbergasted couple of their betrothal that very evening and their long-standing and reciprocated affections. The King and Queen reacted in a pleasing fashion, the Queen wanting to know all the romantic details, the King exhilarated at the thought that he was one of the first to know, especially before the Lioness.

King Jon called for a servant to fetch a priestess of the Mother Goddess, and before Kel and Dom could pause to catch their breaths, They stood before the visiting Abbess of the very convent Kel's sisters had attended.

"Young ones, for all are young in the eyes of the Mother, do you promise, on the soil beneath your feet, on the ether in the Realms of the Gods, on the blood of your body, on the magic in your soul that you will remain steadfast in your devotion to each other?"

"I do."

"I do."

The wizened lady peacefully beamed. "Then be it declared that this man and this woman are now under the protection of the Mother's holy and most sacred wedlock. Their union is blessed by their goddess, and their desire to be joined most noble. Arise, children, and Goddess watch your path."

Dom poked Kel, "Don't 'holy' and 'sacred' mean the same thing?"

Shaking her head at her immature husband, Kel responded to his whisper. "It was for emphasis, oh Man of the Complex-But-Rather-Small-Brain. Now kiss me, or-"

He cut her off by kissing her ardently to the applause of the watching King, Queen, and Abbess. After a blessed few seconds, Kel reluctantly detached herself from her man and spoke to the other occupants of the room. "Your Majesties, Mother Abbess, if you'll excuse us, this man would not properly kiss me until we were wed. Permission to kidnap him until at least midday tomorrow?"

"Granted, Lady Knight. We shall keep our own counsel on this matter until you say otherwise. Our congratulations we grant, as well as the guarantee that you shall not be recalled to service for the next week." Thayet's eyes twinkled as her husband grudgingly made this proclamation.

Kel grinned until Dom grabbed her and dragged her down the hallway.


End file.
